The West Virginia Mountaineers just won't seem to die.
WVU basketball has continued to hang onto the edge of the NCAA Tournament bubble picture over the past week, but have continuously got knocked down in seemingly fatal blows to their March Madness hopes. That continued with the team's third consecutive loss on Tuesday night against Oklahoma State. Yet somehow, they continue to appear in new Bracketology updates.
WVU's loss to the Cowboys further damaged the team's ability to make the NCAA Tournament, and they finally fell out of the "Next Four Out" section in ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology projection on Wednesday morning. But Lunardi isn't fully discounting the Mountaineers yet, as they were still listed as one of the team's in consideration for the tournament bubble.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 25, 2026
Are Ross Hodge and the West Virginia Mountaineers still contenders for the NCAA Tournament?
The path to an NCAA Tournament at-large bid is still technically available for the Mountaineers, but it's safe to say there is no longer any room for misteps.
The Mountaineers are 16-12 overall and 7-8 in conference play. Last season, WVU finished 19-12 in the regular season and 10-10 in the Big 12, and lost their opening round game to Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament before missing the postseason – though it's worth noting that many bracketologists thought WVU was a shoe-in for the tournament last season before a controversial snub.
Nine conference wins against an 18-game Big 12 schedule has been a key number for Big 12 teams to hit since 2012, with over 90% of Big 12 teams who have hit that mark making the NCAA Tournament during that stretch. So WVU needs at least a 2-1 finish to the season, but given their overall record, 3-0 would feel a good bit safer. And it would go a long way if one of those wins was BYU.
But from there, WVU will need at least one Big 12 Tournament win. But once again, you'll want to add a second win to that for things to feel safer, and that's given WVU finishes the regular season without a loss – a 2-1 finish makes two Big 12 Tournament wins a necessity.
And give that WVU is currently in the bottom half of the league standings, that will likely not get any byes at the conference tournament and will have to wait until their second game (if they win their first) for an opportunity at a true resume-building win.
So are the Mountaineers still March Madness contenders? Perhaps. But it's a long shot at this point, and as I've been saying for week, the College Basketball Crown is a more likely destination, the NIT a final alternative – but the Mountaineers must first figure out the current issues that have sparked a three-game losing streak for any hope of success in March.